The present invention relates to a circulation system for a body of liquid. More specifically, to a floating system for exchanging or displacing water or other liquids from lower levels and delivering them to the upper surface to allow for maximum exposure to the atmosphere.
In order for many bodies of water to develop and maintain a healthy eco-system, a non-specific amount of circulation is typically required. This is because many of the bacteria that are necessary for breaking down or digesting nutrients are immobile, and therefore, need to be placed in intimate contact with nutrients, necessary to thrive, by circulation of the water. Furthermore, in the majority of applications, bacteria also need oxygen to survive and flourish. The most readily available source of oxygen is from the atmosphere.
Oxygen can enter the water through contact with the atmosphere which may be accelerated through mixing, as happens in nature through waterfalls, streams, rain, and wind. It has been found that adding artificial aeration, to assist nature, to natural and man made ponds and lagoons can greatly increase the health of the ponds. This may be especially useful in sewage lagoons and the like as the decay process could be accelerated and unpleasant smells reduced.
In order to combine the movement of liquid and supplying of the oxygen, past prior art has typically used one of three methods: (1) a surface splashing action (2) an aspirator/boat prop effect which draws atmospheric air in and then forces air bubbles out or (3) compressing atmospheric air and then releasing it at the bottom of the body of liquid. In each of these actions two things are readily apparent (A) high energy input with corresponding high maintenance needs and (B) the action created is always turbulent.
The use of pond aerators on floating bases has been well establishe such as those shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,243 granted to Aide and U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,859 granted to Henager. In these patents, devices are typically supplied with a draft tube placed just below the surface of the water. This tube houses a propeller or impeller that is connected to a drive means. A draft line is placed at a predetermined depth and connected to the draft tube. Thus, as the drive means turns, the impeller or propeller draws water from a certain depth and defuses it at the water surface. This process circulates and turns the water in the pond. As power to the pump can be a significant issue in remote areas, such as the middle of a pond or lake, the efficiency of the whole unit is crucial to its success. This has required that alternative means of driving the pump on pond mixers would be desirable. One solution has been to use wind power, however wind powered pumps are large in size, expensive, cumbersome, and create a need for complex and expensive anchoring systems.
From this discussion it can be seen that a low energy, circulation method is needed. Such a method or device should be designed to gently circulate (vs. turbulent mixing) a liquid from bottom-to-top with a minimum amount of energy and deliver that liquid to a major oxygen source (the atmosphere) in a manner which will maximize atmospheric absorption. Further it would be advantageous to make such a system so that it can be driven by an inexpensive renewable resource, and thus, able to be used in remote areas with a minimal amount of setup.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a method of circulating bodies of water in a highly efficient manner that allows for the use of an extremely low horsepower pump.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a method of circulating bodies of water and thus, increase their exposure to the atmosphere through the use of an alternative source of power, such as relatively small solar panels.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to combine these characteristics in a small, floating, portable device that can be placed in a desired location and left to circulate a liquid from a lower elevation to the surface.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a method of delivering liquid, through a distribution dish or diffusor, in a non-turbulent manner that will maximize the amount of time the liquid remains on the surface.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a means by which a water circulation apparatus can be used to constantly circulate a body of water during times where the surface of the body of water is prone to freezing during the nighttime hours which, with current water circulation apparatuses, tends to block the distribution of water from the diffusor of the apparatus to the surface of the body of water which in turn blocks circulation.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a such a method of anchoring such devices that will allow a water circulating device to ride up and down on the water""s surface waves while being-subjected to continuously alternating cycles of tug and slack in high wind conditions without interfering with its floatation characteristics or its ability to move under normal weather conditions.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a water circulation apparatus which has a water pick up system that is designed in such a way so that the water pick up tube will not get tangled with the anchor line while the circulation apparatus is drifting around the surface of a body of water.
These objectives are accomplished by the use of a floating circulation apparatus that has as an on-board power system. This on-board power system may consist of a plurality of solar panels that produce the entirety of the power required to drive the water pump, however other power such as wind, electrical, gas or others may be used. This circulation device is equipped with a water impeller that is larger than, and tightly fitted over, the top of the draft tube through which the water from the pond or reservoir is drawn. By placing the impeller above and out of the draft tube, the efficiency of the pump will be greatly increased. Thus, the same amount of horsepower will move a much larger amount of liquid.
By having the impeller up and out of the draft tube, it is also possible to impart movement to the water in two different ways. First, the impeller moves water by a lifting action which is caused by the rotation of the auger-like impeller. Second, the impeller imparts a rotating motion to the water. This rotating motion will generate centrifugal force, causing even more water movement or mixing. Prior art circulation devices place the impeller down in the draft tube and thus, the rotating motion of the water is wasted as the water is trapped by the walls of the draft tube.
The present invention is also equipped with a large flow distribution or diffuser dish surrounding the impeller. The size and shape of the impeller works to allow the water to move directly away from the impeller, radially. Additionally, the flow diffuser is also equipped with a specially designed outer edge which does not impede the radial flow of water created by the impeller as it passes from the diffuser to the surface of the lake or pond. This allows the present invention to circulate a body of water more effectively, as the motion imparted to the water by the impeller is more efficiently passed outside of the diffuser. Thus, the centrifugal force phenomenon is utilized to create water movement at the surface which in turn operates to circulate the body of water.
The present invention is also equipped with freeze slots that work in conjunction with the flow diffusor of the water circulation apparatus in situations in which the flow of water from the diffusor to the body of water is interrupted or completely blocked by the formation of ice which is a common occurrence in fall and winter mornings. The slots alleviate this blockage problem and are a plurality of relatively long and narrow slots within the surface of the diffusor. These slots provide an avenue for water to pass from the interior of the diffusor to the body of water on the outside of the diffusor. Thus, when the normal flow of water has been blocked by the formation of ice, the slots allow the water inside of the diffusor to pass out to the body of water which in turn provides the desired circulation to the water despite the ice.
Additionally, the plurality of slots of the present invention do not interfere with the normal operation of the water circulation apparatus in normal, non-ice, weather conditions. This is true due to the fact that in normal operating conditions the water pressure inside of the diffusor is essentially the same as that outside and so the water will take the path of least resistence which is over the diffusor lip. Conversely, when there is ice blocking this normal route of passage, the rotation of the impeller creates water pressure within the diffusor which serves to force the water out of the slots and into the body of a water which effectively keeps the circulation of the body of water in progress despite the formation of ice.
The present invention also employs an anchoring apparatus that is made up of a pair of weighted blocks which are connected in line by means of an anchor line to either the frame of the circulation apparatus or to one of its plurality of floats. Each of the weighted blocks is most commonly made of a concrete or concrete-like material that is of the correct density that will allow the blocks to be used as an anchor at a size that is practical to handle. Additionally, the form of the concrete blocks in no way pose any threat to the integrity of the non-permeable pond liners as it contains no sharp points or edges that can puncture or tear the liner of some ponds.
The anchoring device for the a water circulation apparatus operates in normal weather conditions by simply sitting on the bottom of a typical pond or lagoon. In these conditions, there is no undue stress place on the line or the blocks and the most forward of the two blocks and the length of the anchor line between it and the circulation apparatus will control the position of the apparatus on the surface of the water. The problem in anchoring these types of devices is a result of less than perfect weather conditions when the wind is blowing hard and is creating waves on the surface of the water. The wave motions in these conditions operate on the circulation apparatus by constantly placing alternating tug and slack forces on the anchor. This can create a serious situation as these types of forces tend to draw the anchor across the bottom of the pond which allows the circulation apparatus to wander randomly around the surface of the pond.
The use of two anchor blocks in the present invention counteracts this potential problem and keeps the circulation apparatus within its desired range of motion. This occurs because as the wind speed increases and begins to move the apparatus away from the anchor, the forward anchor is pulled forward and upward on one of its edges by the anchor line. Once this has occurred, the intermediate anchor line is drawn tight and any remaining tug force is placed on the rear anchor. The weight of the front and rear anchors together along with the frictional resistance created by the rear anchor""s flat position on the liner provide more than enough anchoring force to keep the circulation apparatus in the desired location. Conversely, when the tug force is released by the passage of the wave, the front anchor will return to its normal position on the liner and this action serves to absorb the slack created in the anchor line in windy weather.
Finally, the present invention is also equipped with a water pick up system that consists of a draft hose that is weighted towards its bottom end. This weight serves to keep the draft hose, and therefore the intake strainer head located at its terminus, on the bottom of the body of water directly below the center of the apparatus. As the anchor device for the present invention is attached through the anchor line on the outside edge of the body of the invention with the line extending outward therefrom, the anchor line can never come into contact with the centrally located draft hose. This design of the anchor and water pick up systems eliminate the possibility of encountering problems due to entanglement of the anchor line and the draft hose.
For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention.